Game Preview: Spurs vs Wizards

San Antonio Spurs vs Washington Wizards

Game Venue: AT&T Center
February 2, 2013 7:30 PM Spurs Time
TV: FSSW - RADIO: 1200 AM WOAI

The San Antonio Spurs play host to to the Washington Wizards just as they prepare for their annual Rodeo Road Trip. This is the second straight game they'll play against an Eastern team with the worst record in the league. But although the Wizards are a lowly 11-34, they seem to be much better than their record indicates. Their current spot in the standings has been a fault more of injuries than the Bobcats general inability to mimic a professional basketball club. So far this year, John Wall has only been healthy enough to play in 11 games and, Nene has suited up for a mere 31 games. Nevertheless they have gone 6-5 since Wall returned, which is more in line with the 6 game winning streak they used to end the previous season. Pretty good, right?

Now for the bad: the Wizards are the NBA's worst offensive team. They have a 97.5 offensive rating, and are awful in all four factors (29th in eFG%, 27th in TOV%, 24th in ORB%, and 26th in FT/FGA). This means they can't generate efficient or easy points. However, they are a surprising 6th in defensive rating, and although they aren't great at forcing turnovers (21st in opponent TOV%) and are just above average in preventing opponents from getting to the line (13th in opponent FGA), they are good at forcing bad shots (9th in opponent eFG%) and prevent opponents from getting second chances (9th in DRB%).

That said, they face a team in the Spurs that is operating in an elite way on both ends of the court. Did you know Tony Parker is one of four players in the league to average 20 or more points a game while shooting 50% or better from the field? The other 3 are Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant. The Spurs have won 9 in a row and 17 straight at home, so while the Wizards won't simply lie down, the Spurs should still pull out a win before they start the RRT.

Oh, and Tim Duncan's supposed to be back. The Spurs need him to be healthy to weather the season, let alone make a deep playoff run.

Lineups Starters PG: Tony Parker SG: Danny Green SF: Kawhi Leonard PF: Tim Duncan C: Tiago Splitter Key Bench Players Manu Ginobili Boris Diaw Stephen Jackson Head Coach Gregg Popovich			Lineups Starters PG: John Wall SG: Garrett Temple SF: Martell Webster PF: Nene C: Emeka Okafor Key Bench Players Jordan Crawford Trevor Ariza Kevin Seraphin Head Coach Randy Wittman

Wizards perspective can be found here: Bullets Forever

Get your San Antonio Spurs tickets here!

Game Prediction: The Spurs' offense remains the edge in a defensive minded game. Spurs by 7.

As always Tony must dominate Fisher, and NBA league pass is recommended for those who are willing to pony up the cash. Almost every Spurs game will be broadcast there, which is especially helpful for those of us who aren't in the San Antonio area. Please don't post links to illegal game feeds in the game thread. Links to illegal feeds are not permitted on SBNation, but you can probably find them out there on the internets if you're resourceful and desperate.